Where have all the Ukiah Valley pears gone?

Pear trees were once the symbol of Ukiah, with their blossoms flowering in almost every corner of the valley since the 1840s. Thousands of acres were devoted to growing pears, until a major decline in the '80s and '90s forced many farmers out of business. After a difficult trial, the remaining farmers find themselves in a somewhat steady market.

"Currently the pear industry is stable. The pear farmers still in business are a hardy bunch. It really says a lot about the stick-to-it-iveness of farmers. They are survivors," says Chuck Morse, commissioner for Mendocino County Department of Agriculture.

The fertile, sunny valley of Ukiah has a long history of producing many successful crops -- hops, grapes, pears and feed crops. Pears were especially widespread due to their ability to tolerate the heavy, wet soil in low level areas. Their popularity was also helped thanks to the support of a strong pear economy statewide.

At one time there were more than 300 pear farms in California, according to the California Pear Advisory Board. Then in the '80s and '90s, the pear industry suffered a substantial decline due to competition abroad and the subsequent decline of the canning industry, coupled with rising production costs. There are now only 60 pear farms remaining in California.

Globalization has made it possible to import fresh fruit year-round from Mexico and South America. Consumers were happy because there was no longer an off-season for produce, and with increased competition, prices dropped significantly. California pear growers found themselves trying to compete with foreign prices and many weren't able to.

The ability to buy fresh pears in the supermarket year-round also caused canned fruit sales to decline. As a result, the canning industry that once thrived in California waned dramatically. With the closing of the last local canning shed -- by Del Monte -- the nearest canning facility is now in Oregon. For local farmers, the added cost of having to transport out of state makes canning pears barely profitable.

Alex R. Thomas Co., a company which owned hundreds of acres of pear orchards in the area and ran a packing shed in Ukiah, announced it would be closing on Dec. 1, 2008. The closure of the packing shed had a major effect on the local pear industry and was felt keenly by many farmers. "Their packing shed was an anchor for Ukiah growers," says Morse.

In addition to the decline in demand and therefore prices of pears, farmers also were suffering from highly increased production costs for necessities such as fuel, equipment, labor and pesticides.

Consequently, in the late '80s and early '90s many pear farmers went out of business. Morse explains that some were able to sell their land, while many defaulted on their loans and went bankrupt. In either case, a good majority of the pear orchards were converted to grape vineyards. One reason was that there was no longer a thriving pear market and the switch needed to be made. The other reason was because the reclaimed pear trees were often untended for a year or two and as a result, were infested with pests. In this case, the Agriculture Commission was required to abate and destroy the infected orchards to protect neighboring orchards. Most of the hundreds of acres reclaimed from Alex R. Thomas Co. had this unfortunate ending.

Some pear farmers, who weren't bankrupt already, chose to try another crop. Grapes, with high start-up costs, were an unrealistic switch for most. Hay and grain -- which can be harvested multiple times a year and have a local market -- are the most popular switch-over crops for farmers who were able to stay in business.

For Ukiah pear farmers who survived the decline, Bartlett is still the standard variety. A small percentage grows Bosc and Red Pears. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of organic pear farmers in Mendocino County. "It is very difficult to grow organic pears," explains Morse. "Most farmers try to stay away from harsh phosphates though. They are trying to use more natural ways to fight pests. For example, there's been great success using a pheromone inhibitor that prevents Codling moths from mating. Some pesticides are still used, but much less than 10 to 20 years ago, and pesticide levels are tested frequently to make sure the environment is not being polluted."

For now, the number of pear acres remaining in the Ukiah Valley is stable. Mendocino, along with Lake and El Dorado counties, (aka the "Mountain Pears" district) produces approximately 50,000 tons of pears annually, according to the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom. But farmers know that the market is never stable. Prices are still subject to change. Every year there is still the threat of blight, harsh weather and shifts in economy or labor. "2011 was a fairly decent return year. The data for 2012 has not come in yet. There were some localized hail storms in the Ukiah Valley, but overall it was a good year," Morse concludes.